Preparations Underway For Upcoming Board Of Directors Election

The RV Industry Association Governance Committee has begun working on this years’ Board of Directors election.  Each year, this Committee oversees and prepares a ballot of qualified RV industry leaders who are interested in running for one of the positions up for election.  The election takes place during the month of September and the results are announced in early October.  Successfully elected new board members will begin serving their three-year terms on January 1, 2023.

In November of last year, the Board of Directors adopted revised Bylaws designed to reorganize the Board and modernize the association’s governance system.  The new structure reduces the number of elected directors to 12, expands the number of appointed directors to 4 and, along with the Immediate Past President, fixed the minimum total Board size at 17.  The elected directors will consist of 6 RV manufacturer members, 1 PMRV manufacturer member and 5 supplier members (the At-Large category has been eliminated and will be phased out).  The Board has instructed the Governance and Executive Committees to “manage the transition and complete implementation of these provisions by no later than December 31, 2024.”  In order to minimize the disruption to current terms, this will be done over the next three election cycles.

This first transitional year will have less contested seats than usual: two supplier representative positions will up for election.  Incumbent directors with expiring terms from previous supplier and at-large categories are eligible to seek re-election.

In addition to incumbents and candidates recruited by the Governance Committee, the RVIA Bylaws also provide a way for qualified persons to be nominated directly from the membership.  Such nominations, of a person engaged in an active managerial position with a RVIA member, must be submitted to RVIA in writing and be signed by the official representatives of at least three other voting class member companies.  The deadline for receiving written nominations from the membership is 5:00 pm EDT, Wednesday, July 20, 2022.  All properly submitted nominees will be added to the final ballot.  Send completed written nominations to Bob Schmitt, RVIA Vice President & General Counsel, at rschmitt@rvia.org.

The Board of Directors is the highest-level authority in the association’s overall organizational structure and is responsible for setting and overseeing strategy and policies related to critical topics such as standards, marketing, government affairs, industry education, statistical data and association finances. The nomination process is designed to identify strong candidates from member companies that are interested in upholding these responsibilities.

Here are some quick facts about the RVIA Board of Directors:

How many elected members sit on the Board?
The new RVIA Bylaws designate 12 elected director seats, drawn from the following classifications: 6 RV manufacturers; 1 park model RV manufacturers; and 5 suppliers.

How often does the Board meet?
The Board normally meets at least three times a year: in February or March, in June (Committee Week in Washington, DC) and in mid-November.  Several Board conference call meetings may also be held, as the need arises.

What Qualifications are required?
Candidates must be engaged in an active managerial position and employed by a voting class member company in good standing with the RV Industry Association.  To be in good standing, a member must have all its association dues and assessments paid up to date and not be in a suspended status.  Persons employed by associate, manufacturer’s representative or honorary member entities are not eligible to run.

How long are Board terms?
Terms are for three years, with a maximum of three consecutive elected terms allowed.